NSCC Alumni News Fall 2009

Fall 2009 Published by the North Shore Community College Alumni Office

Commencement 2009 Governor Deval Patrick speaks to record number grads and guests NSCC was honored to have Governor Deval Patrick as the keynote speaker for the college’s 43rd commencement on May 21. This year NSCC conferred over 900 certificates and degrees breaking previous records for the number of graduates. Governor Patrick congratulated grads and thanked NSCC faculty and staff for their commitment to public education. He reminded students that family and friends who supported them as they pursued their goal of a college education were an important part of their success. The governor recognized the sometimes difficult challenges of pursuing higher education and applauded the accomplishment of graduates, in particular thanking student speaker Cheryl Callanan for being an excellent ex-

ample of the results of persistence and hard work.

As student speaker, Cheryl told the crowd she followed an unexpected path to achieving a college education. After a difficult end to her high school years, Cheryl started attending evening classes but soon found that the demands of a full-time job and raising a family made it too difficult to pursue college as well. Though she was fulfilled in raising her family and achieved business success, she longed to complete a college education. Cheryl returned to school after many years and completed the Wellness and Healing Arts program at NSCC this spring.

Cheryl looks forward to continuing her education and working to promote the benefits of holistic medicine.

left to right

Cheryl Callanan and Governor Deval Patrick

Distinguished Alumni Award James Ridley of Lynn honored

Distinguished Alumni Award winner, James Ridley, ‘73 and NSCC Alumni Association Board President, Judi Gentleman, ‘96.

The NSCC Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award was presented at commencement to this year’s honoree, Mr. James Ridley of Lynn. Jim graduated from NSCC in 1973 with an Associate degree in Liberal Arts and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Salem State College and a Master of Education degree in Administration from Cambridge College.

Currently the director of Lynn Tech, Jim has had an extensive and distinguished career in Lynn public schools.

Jim was honored with this award for his dedicated career in public education and his tireless committment to the youth of Lynn. In addition to his career in the Lynn Schools, Jim is active as a volunteer in the community, coaching football and mens and womens basketball for more than two decades.

left to right

Governor Deval Patrick and NSCC President Wayne Burton congratulated graduating students as they entered the O’Keefe Center for this year’s commencement ceremony.

Sustainability Fair This Spring, NSCC will host the second annual Sustainability Fair with information, demonstrations and presentations on all things “green”! Last year’s fair featured a Smart Car, a display by local artist Jeannie Dun-

nigan who created a portrait from junk mail, as well as information on hydroponic gardening, green roofs and green jobs. Check the NSCC website for details on the Spring 2010 fair which will be free and open to the

public. Anyone interested in further details or interested in participating with a presentation should contact Diana Kerry, Director of the Public Policy Institute at 978‒762‒4000, x2105 or dkerry@northshore.edu. Local artist Jeannie Dunnigan participated in the Spring 2009 Sustainability Fair. Jeannie is shown here creating one of her signature portraits out of junk mail.

NSCC President Wayne Burton experienced a Smart Car, courtesy of Herb Chambers of Lynnfield at the Spring 2009 Sustainability Fair.

Archie Bandera of NSCC’s Student Life Office at last year’s mountain bike raffle display.

Commencement Rehearsal

At the morning commencement rehearsal, grads celebrated with cake and four lucky students won raffle prizes of NSCC beach bags with beach gear and Dell laser printers.

left to right

Jen DeGuglielmo, Brian Puzzo, Kelly Swicker and Kim Marino

NSCC developing new programs for “green” jobs North Shore Community College will be working with Springfield Technical Community College on a recently announced Massachusetts Clean Energy Center three‒year $1.87 million contract aimed at increasing growth of the state’s energy efficiency sector and expanding job opportunities. NSCC will be a regional job training site in a network of programs to develop, train and maintain a cutting edge “green” workforce in the Commonwealth. Job training in the areas of weatherization and energy efficiency will be made available to contractors and tradespeople looking to gain new skills specific to green building and technology. The training system will draw upon all 15 Massachusetts community colleges but only 4 will coordinate regional services with other colleges.

Other partners in this Clean Energy Workforce Training and Capacity Building Initiative include area vocational and technical high schools, National Grid, the Massachusetts Green Jobs Coalition (MAGJC), Massachusetts Community Action Programs and

the North Shore Workforce Investment Board.

Through another collaboration with the North Shore Workforce Investment Board NSCC’s Institute of Corporate and Community Education will now offer training for jobs in the energy efficiency sector this Fall. These trainings will prepare participants for the positions of Building Analyst and Building Envelope Specialist that can lead to Building Performance Institute (BPI) certification and prepare people for jobs in the field of energy efficiency.

Please contact Nancy Plante at 978‒236‒1203 for more information.

North Shore Community College recently submitted a grant to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center/CommCorps to explore new programs in Clean and Renewable Energy. If awarded, DiMella Shaffer, the sustainable design architectural firm working on NSCC’s new zero-net energy Health Sciences Building, will be a training partner and advise the College on the development of programs in these areas.

Alumni Profile

NSCC Grad Honored for Excellence in Nursing Hard-working Alumni Association Board members Julie Howland ’91, Sully Sullivan ’97, Judi Gentleman ’96 and John Marren ’08 pictured above volunteered to serve refreshments to grads. They also sold T-shirts, diploma frames and pins to raise scholarship funds for NSCC Alumni Scholarships.

Felicia Moore ’01 at the 2009 Excellence in Nursing Awards where she was honored for leadership and demonstrating excellence in nursing.

Felicia Moore graduated from NSCC in 2001

NSCC Campus Police Dispatcher and 2006 Commencement Student Speaker, Wayne Knight, Sr., ‘93 and ‘06, shares a hug with a member of NSCC’s Class of 2009.

then went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing, graduating from Salem State College in 2005.

She has worked in a variety of healthcare settings and is currently the director of Clinical Services at Nizhoni Health Systems, a home health agency. Felicia says she is working in a job she loves, that allows her to serve a population she respects and values. Felicia was recently honored with the 2009 Excellence in Nursing Award

from the New England Regional Black Nurses Association, a prestigious award given to minority nurses.

As a first-generation college graduate, Felicia recalls there was a time when she never dreamed she’d be where she is today. Her parents were Mississippi farm workers who did not have the opportunity to pursue education. Felicia’s mother died of heatstroke in a cotton field during her senior year of high school. Felicia believes that her experiences growing up in Mississippi prepared her to face and endure many challenges.

Felicia recalls that the elderly in Mississippi believe it takes a community to raise a child and she is quick to credit those who have helped her, saying she did not get to this point in her career alone. Felicia has fond memories of her time at NSCC and the advisors and professors who encouraged her and gave her the tools and confidence to pursue her dreams. Now she is in a position to encourage others and she does so enthusiastically.

Felicia values education and believes strongly in promoting the importance of education and encouraging today’s youth. She speaks to high school seniors in the Lynn Public Schools about career opportunities and choices. This year she participated in the College For Every Student event (see CFES story: next page, top left) at Ford Elementary School, talking to students about her career and the path she followed to reach her goals.

College for Every Student left to right

NSCC student MacKenzie Charles, community volunteer Charles Chivakos, Marilyn Glazer-Weisner ‘99, Mentor Trainer/ Coordinator, NSCC students Demetra Rivera, Jalisa Houston and Ryan Salvador.

Alumni Scholarships NSCC Foundation awards 194 Scholarships The North Shore Community College Foundation awarded 194 scholarships to NSCC students at the May 14th Scholarship Breakfast at Danversport Yacht Club. This annual event recognizes and celebrates scholarship recipients for their achievement and thanks donors for their commitment to NSCC.

NSCC’s Alumni Association annual scholarships show ongoing commitment to NSCC grads.

In March, 8th grade students at the Robert L. Ford School in Lynn received first-hand accounts of what it takes to succeed in college from accomplished North Shore Community College graduates and students as part of the College For Every Student (CFES) program. This annual Early College Awareness Day event brings local role models into the schools to make sure that young students get the message early that education is important and accessible. Along with featured speakers, NSCC students and alumni volunteered to speak with students and spent a good part of the day going from classroom to classroom answering questions about growing up in Lynn and the importance of going to college.

In addition to Marilyn Glazer-Weisner, NSCC alumni participating in this year’s College For Every Student event included Kevin James ’86 (featured in Kids to College photo), Felicia Moore ’01 (featured in alumni profile), and Jim Ridley ’73 (see Distinguished Alumni Award- James Ridley honored).

This year NSCC’s Alumni Association awarded three $1000 scholarships to graduates continuing their education at a four-year school and two $500 student scholarships for current NSCC students. Alumni Scholarship recipients Kevin Amon ‘09, Daniela Graffeo ‘09 and Michele Judd-Seabaugh ‘09 are pictured below with Alumni Association Board members and student scholarship winner Mayara Souza (student scholarship winner Rolanda Flammia not pictured).

Forum on Tolerance Spring 2009

“Opening the Door: What Does Gay Look Like?”

In April, NSCC welcomed television journalist Randy Price as a keynote speaker for the spring Forum on Tolerance titled “Opening the Door: What Does Gay Look Like?” This was the 23rd Forum on Tolerance and included presentations by Arline Isaacson, a political strategist in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transvestite community and David Wilson, a pioneer in samesex marriage and one of the first gay people in Massachusetts to marry his longtime partner in a civil ceremony. NSCC students, staff and faculty, as well as the general public heard a variety of individual stories and perspectives representing the diversity of the LGBT community.

back row, left to right

Daniela Graffeo ‘09, Michele Judd-Seabaugh ‘09, Professor Brenda Clark ’68, Judi Gentleman ’96, Julie Howland ’91, Mayara Souza. front row, left to right

Kevin Amon, Sully Sullivan ’97.

Kids to College Anchorman Randy Price addresses NSCC’s 23rd Forum on Tolerance as the Keynote speaker for “Opening the Door: What does Gay Look Like?”

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left to right

Kevin James ’86, Judge Richard Welch and two of Kevin’s students on this field trip.

Kids to College students got a treat from NSCC grad Kevin James

‘86. Kevin is a practicing attorney who taught last fall’s Kids to College course titled “Innocent or Guilty? You Be The Judge!” NSCC’s Corporate and Community Education division offers many Kids to College class options in a variety of topics. The “Innocent or Guilty” course was designed for 8‒ to 10‒year‒olds, providing exposure to different elements of a mock trial that demonstrated the different perspectives of a courtroom and challenged the young participants to think like a lawyer, a judge, a witness, even a defendant. The class included meeting a real judge with a tour of Newburyport Superior Court.

Alumni Association Board JUDI GENTLEMAN-’96 President

GERARD “SULLY” SULLIVAN-’97 Vice President

BARRY GINSBERG-’71 Alumni Trustee Alumni News is published for NSCC alumni and friends by the Alumni Office, North Shore Community College, 1 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA, 01923. News, photos and event listings are welcome subject to editor approval. Please send to: srochon@northshore.edu • Telephone: 978‒762‒4000, x5481

MARY DENNESEN-’84 SHAWN LERNER-’92 MARY ANN MURRAY-’90 LESLEY PETERS-’97 DONNA ROSATO-’03

JULIE HOWLAND-’91

Staff

JOSEPH W. WALSH, JR.-’73

Alumni Coordinator

Secretary/Treasurer President Emeritus

BRENDA CLARK-’68

SANDRA ROCHON ERIN FIELD

Marketing & Communications

Writers/Editors

SANDRA ROCHON SUSAN ANDERSON NANCY BARKER

Staff Photographers

NSCC MEDIA DEPARTMENT SANDRA ROCHON NANCY BARKER MICHAEL SPERLING